Wireless communication devices are incredibly widespread in today's society. For example, people use cellular phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, pagers, tablet computers, etc. to send and receive data wirelessly from countless locations. Moreover, advancements in wireless communication technology have greatly increased the versatility of today's wireless communication devices, enabling users to perform a wide range of tasks from a single, portable device that conventionally required either multiple devices or larger, non-portable equipment.
In an emergency during which an operable mobile communications device is present, it is desirable to communicate information to one or more entities that are capable of responding to the emergency. This information can include, for example, the location of the emergency, network properties associated with the mobile device and/or its surrounding area, or other information to assist in responding to the emergency. Communication of this information in response to an emergency results in increased consumption of device resources, such as communication bandwidth, battery charge, etc., upon indication of the emergency. A user of a mobile device may wish to provide as much information as possible during an emergency due to the intrinsically unpredictable nature of some emergency events. In contrast, it is desirable to minimize the resource usage of a mobile device in an emergency situation to the extent possible, e.g., to ensure that communication functionality of the mobile device remains available in order to minimize the risk of increased harm to persons or property associated with the emergency.